TY - JOUR
T1 - Swimming bacteria power microscopic gears
AU - Sokolov, Andrey
AU - Apodaca, Mario M.
AU - Grzybowski, Bartosz A.
AU - Aranson, Igor S.
PY - 2010/1/19
Y1 - 2010/1/19
N2 - Whereas the laws of thermodynamics prohibit extraction of useful work from the Brownian motion of particles in equilibrium, these motions can be "rectified" under nonequilibrium conditions, for example, in the presence of asymmetric geometrical obstacles. Here, we describe a class of systems in which aerobic bacteria Bacillus subtilis moving randomly in a fluid film power submillimeter gears and primitive systems of gears decorated with asymmetric teeth. The directional rotation is observed only in the regime of collective bacterial swimming and the gears' angular velocities depend on and can be controlled by the amount of oxygen available to the bacteria. The ability to harness and control the power of collective motions appears an important requirement for further development of mechanical systems driven by microorganisms.
AB - Whereas the laws of thermodynamics prohibit extraction of useful work from the Brownian motion of particles in equilibrium, these motions can be "rectified" under nonequilibrium conditions, for example, in the presence of asymmetric geometrical obstacles. Here, we describe a class of systems in which aerobic bacteria Bacillus subtilis moving randomly in a fluid film power submillimeter gears and primitive systems of gears decorated with asymmetric teeth. The directional rotation is observed only in the regime of collective bacterial swimming and the gears' angular velocities depend on and can be controlled by the amount of oxygen available to the bacteria. The ability to harness and control the power of collective motions appears an important requirement for further development of mechanical systems driven by microorganisms.
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U2 - 10.1073/pnas.0913015107
DO - 10.1073/pnas.0913015107
M3 - Article
C2 - 20080560
AN - SCOPUS:75749132870
SN - 0027-8424
VL - 107
SP - 969
EP - 974
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
IS - 3
ER -